This can actually be an occasional problem we get using Wi-Fi extenders/repeaters, either when setting them up for the first time, or even after we’ve set them up and we suddenly lose internet.

On your Wi-Fi settings/networks list on your device, the extender’s network might display as “connected without internet”, or “connected, no internet“. This basically means that your device IS successfully connected to the extender, but the extender is not properly connected to your router, or the router is not properly connected to the internet.

If you get this error, the main thing is to check the extender’s connection with the router, and the status of your internet service, and try using it in some different locations for a better signal. Failing that, reconfiguring the extender from scratch is your best option.

Let’s look at some different fixes for this problem so you can get back online again.

Quick Diagnostics & Tips

With this error, it’s useful to do some quick testing/diagnostics to find out what the real problem is. It could be one of a few things:

Internet service – Check that your internet service isn’t down. You can try using Downdetector or another tool, or simply try to connect devices directly to your main host router instead. If this works, but your extender doesn’t, then you know your internet is fine, and it’s the extender’s connection with the router that is the issue. If you can’t even get online via your main router, then either your internet service is down, or your router is broken, and you’d need to contact your ISP’s customer support for more help.

Reset devices – You can try resetting or restarting devices, but this is unlikely to fix the problem in most cases. Try this if it seems to be one device that’s having problems and others are fine.

Move Extender – Another quick thing to try is simply moving your extender around and trying it in different wall sockets. It may have worked fine for a while, but has suddenly lost it’s connection with the router, so it can’t pull an adequate signal anymore (Wi-Fi can unfortunately be fickle like that – it works fine then suddenly it doesn’t, even if you don’t change anything). Try using it in different places, and also try plugging it in close to the router for a few minutes, then moving it back to the original location (extenders save settings even when unplugged so you can do this, but you may need to wait 30-60 seconds for the extender to re-connect when moved). The signal may refresh sufficiently for it to work again. This is what worked for me when I had this problem – I just moved it close to the router for a while, then back to it’s original spot, and it worked fine again. Sometimes the connection with the router just needs refreshing.

Access Restriction – Check that someone hasn’t changed the Wi-Fi password/key for the main router, as this may disrupt connectivity since extender’s clone the router password. Again, if you can access the main router as normal with the same password, this is a sign this isn’t the issue. Also check that someone hasn’t blocked or kicked the extender off the network via the main router’s settings.

Reconfiguring Your Extender

If you’ve identified that your internet is fine, and it’s the extender that’s the issue, and moving it around doesn’t work,  it’s a good idea to simply set it up again from scratch using a device browser. It’s quick and easy, and as long as your router Wi-Fi password is the same as before, shouldn’t be a problem. This creates a brand new connection between your extender and router, so you can hopefully start all over again with a proper signal.

Here are the main steps to do this:

Step #1 – Plug your extender in as close as possible to the main host router during setup for the best signal. Then, once it’s configured again, you can move it around again as needed (extender’s store custom settings so it’s fine to unplug and move them once set up)

Step #2 – Connect to your extender’s network again. If it still says “connected, no internet”, this is fine – you can still access the extender’s settings and reconnect to your router without being connected to the wider internet. You just need to be connected to it’s local network.

Step #3 – Once connected to the extender, open any browser and type in it’s access URL (eg. tplinkrepeater.net) into the address bar. This can be found on the label on the extender itself.

Then enter the admin username/password. If you’re setting the extender up for the first time, these will also be the defaults listed on the label. Here are some common ones:

• TP Link – Login URL – http://tplinkrepeater.net
  • • username/password often both “admin”
• Netgear – http://mywifiext.net
  • • username – “admin”; password – “password”
• Linksys – http://extender.linksys.com
  • • username “admin”; password – “admin”, “password”,  or”1234″
• Wavlink – http://wifi.wavlink.com
  • • username and password often both “admin”

If you’ve already set the extender up, these will be something custom that you’ve hopefully remembered or noted down. If you can’t remember them, skip to the factory reset section below.

Step #4 – Once inside the extender’s admin/settings panel, run through the setup/quick setup/configuration process again as when you first configured it. Here’s the general process:

• If prompted, set up a new admin username/password to access settings – you can use the same ones as before if you want to keep it simple.
• A nearby networks list should appear. Find your main router, and enter it’s Wi-Fi password to connect (if the router wireless password has been changed, you’ll have to either find what it is, or factory reset the router to restore it to default).
• Either copy or modify your router’s SSID for your extender to set it’s network name (by default, it will clone your router’s, but you can customize it if you want during setup). The extender’s wireless password is always the same as your router’s current one.
• Save settings and connect to the new network on the extender, and then confirm/finish setup in your extender’s admin if prompted and log out.
• A solid green light indicates the extender is connected and working fine.
• Test the connection. If it’s been successfully reconnected, it should now say “connected, secured“, or “connected, internet” or similar. You should now be able to access the internet again via your extender.
• You can then try moving the extender around again where it’s needed.

See our step by step guide on how to set up an extender via a device web browser, for more detailed steps on this, with screenshots.

Final Option – Factory Reset The Extender & Reconfigure

If you’re not getting anywhere trying these steps, or you can’t do these steps because you can’t remember certain credentials to access your extender, then your last ditch option is the factory reset the extender. This restores all settings and credentials to the default state like when it was brand new, and allows you to set it up again totally from scratch.

To do this, push any sharp object into the reset hole on the extender when it’s plugged in, and hold for a few seconds until the LED on it blinks/flashes/goes out:

Then wait a few seconds for the extender to re-initialize. Everything should now be restored to default, so all the defaults on the label (access URL/SSID/username/password) should work, allowing you to access the extender’s settings and reconfigure it again from scratch.

Then you just need to go through the process of connecting the extender to your router again, as covered above. Again, it’s a good idea to plug it in close to the router when first setting it up for the best signal, then move it once configured.

You’ve got 3 main methods of extender configuration from the factory default state:

1. Using device browser – as covered in the steps above.
2. Using WPS – a quicker, no nonsense method if your router has a WPS/Pair button. No manual setup required.
3. Using Tethering App – For TP Link extender models, they have an app you can download to your phone to run through the setup (works much the same as doing it on a browser).